IndustriAll Europe particularly welcomes the plans to invest heavily in the development and production of electronic components for the Internet of Things and in integrated digital platforms; the plans to define interoperability standards with a fair Intellectual Property regime and to regulate access rights to data, and the plans to define liability and safety rules for autonomous systems. IndustriAll Europe is also satisfied to learn that social partners are due to be more involved in the process, in round tables on the governance of digitalisation and in an ongoing dialogue on the impact of digitalisation on work.IndustriAll Europe notes favourably the Commission’s consideration of digital skills and the long-term employability of workers in a digitally-transformed industry. It would, however, prefer social partners in the user sectors to play a greater role in the definition of such skills.

IndustriAll Europe strongly urges the Commission to ambitiously pursue the industrial policy programme outlined in this Communication, and trusts that the major social issues addressed in it will form part of further discussions with the Commission, employers and industry.